Oh wait, I like this series.
Mmm...fruit smoothies.
Now, I didn't know that Xebec (animation) AND Production I.G. (production) were both working this series. No wonder I actually liked this mecha series - with Xebec making good graphics and animations and Production I.G. working everything else (although Production I.G. is also ridiculously good at graphics, so I bet that's why the series looks like a fucken movie each episode), it's kinda hard to beat this powerhouse combo.
Ok, so Rinne no Lagrange was one of the few Winter 2012 series that I actually enjoyed, and not just 'cause it had bitches flyin' everywhere. No, I enjoyed it because it had some semblance of a plot and the characters were actually decent and interacted properly, unlike what they did with Senki Zesshou Symphogear (and yet that series became Weiss Schwarz cards...smh). And season two seems to be improving upon that.
Let's go to production values.
Oh shiet
OH SHIET
OH SHIET
The graphics are simply great - up there with Sunrise. After all, would you expect any less from a Xebec/Production I.G. combination? Lines are sharp, the 3D is great, the particle effects are good, and shiny shit flying everywhere. Every episode looks about as fine-tuned as the K-On! movie was, so absolutely can't complain. The eyes are big and nice, the girls look good, and even the backgrounds are noticeable. When the space scenes come out and it goes to the climax...it's definitely worthy of a snapshot. Passed with flying colors.
The audio is also pretty damn good. The OP (Marble by Nakajima) isn't a masterpiece, but it works. The theme is along the same lines as the OP from season one, but I like the first season's melody a bit better, so that's that. I can tell that they spent a lot of damn money on the EDs though; two already after about six episodes (edit: my mistake, four episodes)? Ridiculous. The first one was pretty funny (Jersey Club Spirit by Ishihara Kaori, Seto Asami, Kayano Ai), but the second one was relatively nondescript.
What I'd really like to focus on though is the actual soundtrack. The major musical piece that defines the series (at least I'd say) is that eerie, lilting piece, "Kamogawa in A major". It really sets the mood for the series and if there starts to be a lull, this track wakes the viewers up - in a peaceful, gentle, floating, yet ethereal manner. The choice of major instrument here though was pretty crucial - not an actual orchestral/band instrument, but something between a synth wind instrument and a wobble - just to evoke a feeling that's out of reach. For even just this one track, thank you Rinne no Lagrange. I'll have this track up for a Soundtrack Pick post very soon.
So........
Plottu time.
Trust me, this is relevant to the plot
I quite like the plot, actually. There are two alien forces at war with each other (plus Earth, right). The key to resolving this war, either peacefully or not, is in the three Vox mechas, which have been entrusted to three girls who are bffs with each other...and also represent each of the forces involved. They need to find a way out of this, and find a way out of this they will, with their cojones of steel.
It sounds kind of mediocre when I describe it, but it's just that there's much more than meets the eye. The characters interact decently, everybody is connected and can talk to each other in a way that allows all of the cast to participate instead of doing a million side-stories, and the tension generated by the plot is pretty realistic, not just "OK THIS VILAIN IS GONNA KILL EVERYONE". I won't go into spoilers, but I would say that this is one of the cleaner applications of the trolley case that I've seen in an anime series in a while. That and the fact that the plot is driven neither by a plot railroad nor by the end objective so much as by the interactions between the characters makes this story so much more engaging and interesting. For continuing this refreshing story, I can really do no less than recommend it (I'll cut it short b/c I can't do much without going into spoilers).
Recommendation: Watch both seasons - it's a really interesting anime and much better than most of the shit these past few seasons.
And yet Rinne no Lagrange still manages to fit this shit in half the time.
No comments:
Post a Comment